The Drum Mom

For many years I spent a great deal of time at various Drum Circles. If you have never attended an Open Public Drum Circle, you have missed a great deal of fun! One of the many things to watch is how children respond to the experience. They naturally move with the beat and want to participate in every way they can. As the older ones can dance and drum just as well as many of the adults, some are still a bit too little and could be easily stepped upon by spinning bodies and the like.

Typically, the Drum Mom is a position often held by one of the mothers attending. She supervises the water and snacks and watches over the health and welfare of the Drum Circle: as drummers tire and take a break through out the night (if we are doing an “all nighter”) the Drum Mom make sure that they are cared for and makes a safe place for the dancers to gather to share snacks and words.

I have attempted to capture the many aspects within the Drum Circle through my work: mostly jewelry, however I still love to revel in my first love: sculpture. I indulged myself in this one: The Drum Mom.

This piece holds an aspect of the tiny struggle between the Drum Mom and a pair of little ones who are more exuberant then for their own good. One struggles to climb into her lap while the older of the two wants to break away into the circle, armed with a shaker. The Sculpture is a tiny moment, a single beat in the Drum Circle, in fact in one’s life; yet it is an iconic position, one of honor. Every healthy Drum Circle has such people looking after each other; in this way the drummers and dancers may focus on their purpose: to generate Joy and Bright Blessings.